Super plonk

I believe it possible to walk into Asda and walk out with a complete new wardrobe for less than a tenner, so on that basis, perhaps, Chteau Gigault Premières Côtes De Blaye 1998 at £7.78 is expensive (at Asda), but man cannot live by dress alone, and so, because my dear friends Jean and James often serve austere reds from the Blaye appellation at their dinner parties, I must recommend this gorgeously supple claret to them and to you. The product of a glorious vintage in the area, it shows chocolate and cocoa undertones to toasted blackberries and raspberries, with frisky tannins, rates 17.5 out of 20 and will be in store next month.

Mr Laurie Nelson of Kent writes of the austerity at Unwins. Unwins is a southern chain of wine shops that I cannot seem to contact either by email or telephone (yet the company must still exist, for the other day it sent me a list of bargain offers, though these were all boring). Mr Nelson relates of Chteau Ducla, which appeared in this column, 'I visited five branches, none of which had heard of the wine - apart from one chap who took a vague interest, the other four people had obviously not found their vocation in life.' So much for Unwins. Aldi, the chain of discount stores, fares no better, according to Paul Crabb, who attempted to buy its tremendous 17-point Île la Forge Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah 2001 (£4.99). He emailed me as follows: 'I've tried a handful of Aldi shops without success. As for Aldi's minimalist approach to retailing, it's a bit much not to be able to phone their branches to inquire about stocks. Worse still, their website store locator doesn't even show the branch nearest to me [Newark], so it's hard to put much trust in it.' I await a response from an Aldi representative. It may be some time in coming, I suspect.

I did not have long to wait, however, to receive a response to a piece I wrote in G2 some weeks back about the appalling bill run up at a fancy curry house in London by Mr Andy Gilchrist, the leader of the firefighters' union. In the letters page of the paper (March 7), Mr Peter May of St Albans seemed to think I was a curry snob. On the contrary, Mr May, I often take bottles to BYOB Indian restaurants, but never have I drunk an £80 bottle of Chteau Chasse-Spleen 1995 with such food. No Bordeaux red goes with curry, though Waitrose's stupendous Rutherglen Durif 2002 (16.5 points, £6.99), from Australia, will. The colour blinds the eye, so rich is it, and it heralds fruit as svelte as satin, yet ruffled with voluptuous tannins. This vivid wine, Mr May, is my idea of a liquid that turns the merest balti into a treat, and it is perfect for BYOB restaurants because it has a screwcap, so cannot be tainted by cork.

The other reader who was roused by my condemnation of the money spent by a union leader on wine and its inappropriateness with the food was Roger Perry of North Yorkshire, who opined that, 'Australian red wines are better than French - if you like Ribena.'

Australia also turns out some superb whites. Tesco has two new 16-pointers, and each is thought-provokingly delicious. Redbank Sunday Morning Pinot Gris 2002 (£7.99) is young but delightfully active on the palate with its apricot, gooseberry and lemons. Yalumba Barossa Chardonnay 2002 (£6.99) is demure and classy. Of the two, the former is the one to choose to accompany tandoori prawns or fish.

Superplonk of the week

Cava Vendrell Reserva Albet i Noya non-vintage Brut (£7.99, 17.5 points, from Sainsbury's) - heaven forfend that I should marry again, but were this foolhardy notion to enter my head then, when it came to the bubbly to serve at the reception, I would unhesitatingly reach for many bottles of this cava and thank my lucky stars.

It is an organic bubbly from Catalonia that is not only tastier than any cheap champagne, it is also finer than many an expensive one (such as Krug, say, at 80 smackers a bottle). Indisputably, it is individual, crisp and wildly entertaining on several levels. The fruit is rich yet delicate, flavoursome yet with toasty finesse, and there is even a little tannin to give grip and guidance to the acidity. The whole construction is a joy to sip, slurp and to regard in the glass, and even the bottle looks tremendous just sitting there.

The Catalans are geniuses, aren't they? Not only does the purity of the fruit in this wine leap out of the glass (helped by exemplary winemaking), but the style of the packaging leaps from the bottle so stylish, witty and elegant is it. This wine really should rate 20 points. Had I rated it after finishing the bottle, I rather suspect it would.